Manor Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the quality of leadership and management further by ensuring that:
  • subject leaders play an effective role in improving outcomes for pupils across the wider curriculum
  • transition arrangements ensure greater consistency of assessment between Nursery and Reception.
• Strengthen the quality of teaching and learning further by ensuring that:
  • middle-attaining pupils, in particular boys and disadvantaged pupils, make good progress to enable more of these pupils to achieve greater depth of learning in writing at the end of key stage 1
  • the most able children in the early years are sufficiently challenged to enable them to achieve as well across all areas of learning as they do in reading, writing and mathematics
  • the teaching of subjects across the wider curriculum is of the same high quality as it is in English and mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has created a culture of improvement since the previous inspection. Leaders consistently act on the principle that every pupil is capable of making good progress if they are taught well. Staff and governors fully subscribe to this vision, in particular the tangible drive for pupils to want to work hard and learn new things.
• The school’s inclusive ethos embraces all pupils. As one parent commented, ‘Every child is valued no matter what and in our opinion that is the best way for a child to start out its education.’
• Leaders know the school’s strengths and areas for development well because of their reliable checks which are based on a wide range of evidence. Leaders’ improvement plans are focused on the right things because leaders challenge themselves and understand pupils’ achievement well.
• Teachers have many opportunities to share their professional skills with one another and with teachers in other local schools. Staff appreciate these opportunities, and one member of staff commented, ‘I would feel confident in asking any one of them for help or support.’ Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at Manor Infant School.
• Special educational needs funding is used incisively to support pupils’ needs. Leaders have high expectations for the achievement of these pupils. Effective training enables staff to understand pupils’ needs and ensure that pupils receive the right support.
• The curriculum is suitably broad and balanced. However, standards in subjects such as geography are not as strong as they are in English and mathematics.
• The curriculum supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. In religious education, pupils reflect on others’ beliefs. For example, families share experiences of Eid and special visitors strengthen pupils’ understanding of Hinduism. Year 1 pupils learned about the celebration of Rakhi and reflected on the importance of community and love, regardless of faith.
• Leaders ensure that pupils reflect well on wider British values. For example, a class considered ‘What does authority mean?’ Pupils are helped to understand democracy through the election of their ‘Young Members of Parliament’. They consider social responsibilities such as recycling and fundraising for others, including the sponsorship of a child in another country.
• The school provides valuable opportunities for parents to participate in school life. For example, during the inspection, grandparents attended a workshop to play traditional games. At other times, ‘Stop, Think and Reflect’ assemblies offer pupils opportunities to share their achievements. The great majority of parents who expressed an opinion were positive about the school.
• Sports funding is used well, for example to improve staff confidence and ability in teaching gymnastics. Sports clubs provide many opportunities for pupils to keep fit.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. However, leaders know that there is more to do so that more disadvantaged pupils are working at greater depth in writing.
• Middle leaders have clear plans to improve teaching across subjects. They make useful checks on the standard of work in pupils’ books and play an increasing role in improving teaching and learning. However, many leaders are new and have yet to implement their plans fully.
• The Portsmouth Teaching Alliance has provided appropriate support which staff appreciate. This has helped leaders to check their evaluation and reflect on ways to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Helpful specialist support has enriched teachers’ good subject knowledge in English.

Governance of the school

• Governors fully endorse the headteacher’s ambition for the school. They provide effective support and challenge to ensure that progress does not falter. They are knowledgeable and use external advice appropriately.
• Raising standards remains at the forefront of governors’ work. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Good-quality information about pupils’ outcomes ensures that governors have a detailed understanding of how well pupils are progressing.
• Governors have a good understanding of safeguarding and regularly check the school’s safeguarding practices. They have shaped helpful improvements to the school’s procedures, including, for example, the systems to administer medicines in school. They attend training, as appropriate, to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Everyone is resolute about ensuring that pupils are kept safe. Appropriate training ensures that staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil. The designated safeguarding leader has a comprehensive oversight of emerging concerns. When needed, staff act swiftly to ensure pupils’ safety.
• Safer recruitment processes are followed diligently. Leaders work tirelessly with other agencies to ensure the welfare of its most vulnerable pupils, including children looked after or under child protection plans. The school retains a detailed chronology of its work to support pupils.
• Pupils feel strongly that they are kept safe. They talk positively about how to keep themselves safe on the internet, for example by rejecting ‘pop-ups’, keeping themselves safe on the roads and avoiding ‘stranger danger’. They know that attending school regularly helps to keep them safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers plan lessons which spark pupils’ interest and desire to learn. As one pupil commented, ‘The best thing about our school is our teachers because they teach us new things.’ Teachers set high expectations for what pupils can achieve. As a result, pupils work hard and reflect well on their learning.
• Teachers take great care to ensure that learning is built on a secure assessment of what pupils can already do. Transition arrangements across most classes are strong so that teachers build well on pupils’ prior knowledge and their starting points. Teachers’ effective use of assessment is helping pupils to make stronger progress than in the past, so many are catching up to the expected standards quickly.
• Staff know pupils’ needs very well. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to learning as a result of effective training. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from clear guidance which helps them to learn well.
• Teachers’ careful questioning enables them to assess pupils’ understanding and to challenge pupils to think deeply, demanding more of pupils with incomplete answers or unclear reasoning.
• The teaching of mathematics has improved. Teachers plan engaging problems which require pupils to think hard and apply their reasoning skills. For example, there was a real buzz of productivity in Year 2 when the most able pupils grappled well with a complex problem, determined to prove it was unsolvable.
• Phonics teaching is precise, clear and well planned. Expectations of pupils are high. This supports pupils well to make good progress in their reading.
• Pupils say that they learn well because teachers provide them with good support and show them how to improve their work. This is evident in the high quality of work on display. As a result, pupils show increasing efficiency in their handwriting and confidence in writing for different purposes throughout the year.
• Homework is used effectively to reinforce pupils’ knowledge and skills. For example, a Year 2 pupil reflected on learning from growing seeds at home. Pupils value these opportunities.
• In some subjects, teaching is not as consistently strong as it is in English and mathematics. In geography, teaching is less effective in securing pupils’ understanding, for example of continents. In science, the most able pupils are not consistently challenged well.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils attending the school’s nurture class, ‘The Rockpool’, are helped to self-regulate and manage their feelings well. Staff remain calm and caring if pupils become upset or frustrated so that pupils learn what is expected of them. Pupils are encouraged to listen to each other and to develop a sense of belonging.
• The many awards available to pupils encourage their personal development well. For example, pupils speak enthusiastically about earning gold stars for their effort in lessons, the citizenship awards and the opportunities to lead tours for visitors. Everyone is clear about what is expected of pupils.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare but, if it does happen, they can trust an adult to sort it out quickly.
• The breakfast club is popular and helps pupils to get to school on time. It is well organised and gives pupils a nourishing start to the day in a calm, social environment. Pupils appreciate the reward for manners and healthy choices, which is sharing lunch at a ‘Top Table’ with staff members.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are polite and respectful to each other and calmly move around their school with care. Playtimes are busy, social times. Pupils enthusiastically play games together and enjoy their reading den.
• Pupils are keen to join in lessons and demonstrate good behaviours. Everyone in the community works together and values the shared understanding of the expected behaviour in school.
• Pupils are taught to take responsibility for their behaviour and to remedy the consequences of any mistakes they make. Pupils eagerly shared ideas during a game of ‘Zoom Eek’ and adjusted the rules together to make it fair.
• The school keeps thorough records of any incidents of poor behaviour. Records show a significant reduction in these incidents. Pupils’ emotional needs are met well and lessons continue smoothly without disruption. Pastoral support plans ensure that provision is modified to fully meet the needs of pupils who need support with their behaviour.
• Leaders work closely with parents to reinforce the benefits of good attendance and retain a sharp focus on this. As a result, in 2016, attendance was above the national figure. Punctuality is improving and pupils arrive increasingly well prepared to learn.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2016, outcomes at the end of key stage 1 were in line with, or close to, national figures in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The proportion of current Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check is above national figures.
• Standards in reading are high across the school. From all starting points, most pupils make strong progress to attain well at both the expected standard and at greater depth of learning at the end of key stage 1.
• Standards continue to rise in mathematics for all groups of pupils. Stronger teaching in mathematics now deepens pupils’ reasoning and understanding.
• Most pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making strong progress, in particular in reading, and, as a result, differences are diminishing.
• The most able pupils attain well in reading. More of these pupils now attain well in mathematics than in the past. However, progress is slower for some middle-attaining pupils who are capable of striving for greater depth of learning, particularly boys.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress, particularly those with the lowest starting points. Most of these pupils attain the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The most able disadvantaged pupils now make stronger progress in reading and mathematics than in the past. However, few disadvantaged pupils who reached a good level of development at the end of the early years achieved a greater depth of learning in their writing in key stage 1.
• Standards in other subjects are not as high as those in English and mathematics. Standards in pupils’ work in subjects such as geography are more variable than in English and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• A significant proportion of children join the Nursery with skills well below those typical for their age. They get off to a good start because of good-quality teaching and the way staff improve children’s play and enrich their vocabulary.
• In 2016, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was above the national figure. Current children in the school, including those who are disadvantaged, are achieving equally well. The most able children attain well in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the Reception classes. Consequently, children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders use additional funding incisively to provide support to help children communicate well. Staff introduce new words systematically and model clear speech. They target any children who fall behind and need extra help, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Right from the start, children are taught well to cooperate, take turns and show kindness. The youngest and oldest children play sensitively together, helping each other. This creates a happy and industrious place to learn.
• A wide range of resources spark children’s curiosity and help them to explore. For example, children arranged crates and planks so that they could balance, while others recorded their views of how well they had done.
• Children are kept safe and learn to reduce risks. For example, an adult encouraged children to consider risks when using sand-filled buckets and pulleys. The children agreed simple rules together, adapting what they were doing.
• In the Reception classes, high-quality writing inspires children. They develop their technical skills rapidly and write regularly. For example, ‘Evil Pea’ posters motivated children to demand the return of their stolen vegetables.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Staff provide helpful experiences to develop children’s understanding of the world. For example, children study the life cycle of caterpillars and ask questions such as ‘Why did they grow?’ Adults promote specific vocabulary well, such as ‘cocoon’ or ‘proboscis’ when children write about butterflies.
• The school works well with parents to involve them in their children’s learning. Parents help the school to make assessments.
• Safeguarding is effective. Relationships between staff and adults are warm and children are nurtured well. Plans are in place to improve the sleeping arrangements for two-year-olds within the Nursery.
• Leaders’ rigorous monitoring has ensured that the most able children’s attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has improved. Leaders agree that children’s achievement in some other areas of learning is weaker, such as expressive arts and design. Transition arrangements are not yet seamless between the new Nursery and Reception. As a result, assessment information is not as accurate or well used by staff as it could be when children move from Nursery to Reception.

School details

Unique reference number 116226 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 10032846 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 2 to 7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 234 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Elmer Headteacher Ashley Howard Telephone number 02392 820 548 Website www.manorinfantschool.co.uk/ Email address office@manor-inf.portsmouth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school provides 40 places for Nursery-aged children, with eight places for children aged from two to three years and 32 places for children aged from three to four years.
• Pupils in key stage 1 are taught in single-age classes. Reception-age children attend full-time.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than the national average.
• The Portsmouth Teaching Alliance has continued to support the school since the time of the last inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. Most of these visits were made jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors listened to pupils reading in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Inspectors talked to pupils and considered the views of 12 pupils who completed Ofsted’s pupil survey. They looked at examples of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, special needs coordinator and representatives of the governing body and spoke with the local authority. They considered the views of the 17 staff who completed Ofsted’s online staff survey.
• Inspectors spoke to parents informally at the start and end of the school day. They took account of the 12 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and a school survey. An inspector also attended a workshop attended by grandparents.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of current performance, improvement plans, information on pupils’ achievement and progress, safeguarding and pupils’ attendance and minutes of governors’ meetings.

Inspection team

Susan Aspland, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Kevin Parfoot Ofsted Inspector